Oprah Winfrey spotted helping at Hawaii wildfire shelter as flames rage on

At least 55 people are now known to have died as fires ripped through the island of Maui and the historic town of Lahaina. As many as 1000 people could be missing.

The media mogul, 69, was spotted on Thursday handing out supplies and speaking with residents at the War Memorial Stadium in Wailuku, which has been converted into a shelter and resource centre, website Hawaii News Now reported.

Footage of Winfrey, clad in a straw hat and clutching pillows, was posted to the Instagram page of Hawaiian rights group Kākoʻo Haleakalā.

“It’s a little overwhelming,” Winfrey told the BBC in a brief video.

“But I’m really so pleased to have so many people, supporting, and people are just bringing what they can and doing what they can,” reported the New York Post.

She said that she had made two trips the shelter, first to find out what was actually needed.

“Often you make donations of clothes or whatever and its not what people need.”

After that trip she said she went shopping to major US chain stores Walmart and Costco and bought pillows, sheets, shampoo and nappies.

In one snapshot, Winfrey — one of Maui’s biggest private landowners — was pictured on a bed and looking speaking with residents forced to abandon their homes when the deadly flames closed in earlier this week.

In another photo, she posed alongside four other evacuees.

The former talk show host has lived on the island part-time for at least 15 years.

In addition to her 486 hectare holdings across Hana and near Mount Haleakala — relatively far from the deadly fires — Winfrey also recently shelled out $10.16 million on 352 hectares in Kula, which is caught between the south Maui and up-country blazes.

At least 55 dead

At least 55 are dead and an untold number of others missing following the fires.

While many parts of the island — including the historic hamlet of Lahaina, which was almost completely decimated — are without power and communication access, outlets have urged survivors to mark themselves “safe” on the Red Cross emergency app.

US President Joe Biden on Thursday declared the Hawaii wildfires a “major disaster,” unblocking federal funds for the hard-hit island of Maui.

Brushfires on Maui’s west coast — fuelled by high winds from a hurricane passing to the south — broke out on Tuesday and rapidly engulfed the seaside town of Lahaina, forcing some residents to flee into the ocean.

Mr Biden’s office said he had spoken Thursday by phone with Hawaii Governor Josh Green.

The president “expressed his deep condolences for the lives lost and vast destruction of land and property,” the White House said

On Thursday, Mr Green pointed those interested in donating to relief efforts to the Hawai’i Community Fund.

The Maui Mutual Aid Fund is taking contributions specifically for local families, elderly people, and those with disabilities, the outlet said.

With video footage of desperate residents fleeing into the ocean to escape the flames made the rounds on social media, dozens of verified GoFundMe campaigns have sprung up to help individuals and other parts of the devastated community.

Those eager to donate are encouraged to find and support legitimate organisations using resources like CharityWatch, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, and Charity Navigator, CNN noted.

Josh Morocco, pastor of Kings Cathedral Maui, told the Washington Post the area is already touched by the number of volunteers helping with immediate relief efforts.

“We’ve had people arrive from Mercy Chefs, a group of chefs that cook day and night. We’ve got connected with Convoy of Hope, CityServe … we’ve got calls from churches, pastors and people from around the world wanting to be a part of it,” he said.

The wildfires are Hawaii’s deadliest natural disaster since 61 people were killed in a tsunami in 1960.

The blaze is also the US’s deadliest wildfire since the 2018 Paradise disaster in California.

This story appeared in the New York Post and is reproduced ed with permission. With AFP.